Sunway Students Trip to India to Help the Poor

A group of students from the Centre of American Education (CAE) in Sunway University embarked on a self-funded trip to India with the mission to help the underprivileged community in Belukurichi. Prior to that, the group of seven students had organised various fund-raising activities for the community. A total collection of RM17,000 was used to buy items to be donated to the community such as school uniforms, school bags, stationary, books, furniture such as tables and chairs, and confectionary.

Nur Ellysa Hassan (in red shirt) and Hemawathy Balarama, Vicknesh Prasad and Jessica Liew with the children at a secondary school in Belukurichi.

Located on the Southern state of Tamil Nadu, India, the small village of Belukurichi was chosen because of the team’s personal contact with the community; the relatives of the group leader, Jayashini Vasanthan live there and could provide local assistance to the team by arranging accommodation and transport, and coordinate with the schools and homes for visits and donation. Team members included Jessica Liew, CAE student Committee President, Vicknesh Prasad, Sharveen Raaj Rajaindran, Purvindren Subramaniam, Nur Ellysa Hassan and Hemawathy Balarama.

Vicknesh Prasad(left), Nur Ellysa Hassan (right in red shirt) and Jessica Liew with the children at Belukurichi secondary school

During the four-day trip, the students visited 4 schools, a home for disabled children, an orphanage and an old folks home. Instead of just collecting donations and sending it over to the community, the students wanted to visit the people in person, especially the children. They focused on improving the facilities of the school to encourage a conducive environment for the children to study, hence the donation of school-related items. “The infrastructure of the schools is very basic and in bad condition. Some students go to school barefooted and as they can’t afford to buy new uniforms often, they usually wear old or bigger sized ones which they can wear for a long time,” related Jayashini. At the schools, the students also spent time playing games with the children.

Jayashini Vasanthan (right) with Jessica Liew, Shanmugapriya and Nur Ellysa Hassan handing out goody bags and confectionery to the children at the primary school.

At the orphanage and the home for the disabled children and old folks, the same debilitating environment greeted the students. “Yet, the occupants were friendly and happy to see us. They were grateful even though we were contributing only a little. It was a humbling experience and served as a reminder to us of how blessed our lives are,” said Jessica. At the old folks home, the group also donated used clothes collected from Malaysia.

The JCharity Team with teachers and organizers (India) and the children at the school

A mock cheque presentation was held recently to commemorate the trip and to announce the next charity event. The visit to Belukurichi has been an eye-opening and humbling experience for the students, it has further motivated them to help other disadvantaged communities.

The JCharity Team handing over the mock cheque to Shri Sakthi, representative from Tamil Nadu

The CAE Student Committee is made up of students’ representative of the American Degree Transfer Programme in Sunway University. The committee members organise and coordinate various activities for the students to enhance understanding and cooperation between students in line with the educational aim of the programme.